Biddle, Morgan, Martin and Altherr need to pitch or play on a regular basis and getting limited work in big-league camp served them little benefit. The Phillies hope each can contribute at the big-league level in the near future.

The Phillies plan Biddle and Morgan to be in the rotation at some point. Martin is a bullpen candidate, although the Phillies have been preparing him to start this spring. Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan said over the winter that Altherr “is as good of an outfielder as we have in our system, and possibly in the Major Leagues as well.”

The rebuilding Phillies could use some young outfielders.

Altherr hit .286 with five doubles, two triples, four home runs, 27 RBIs and an .878 OPS in 105 at-bats with Aguilas de Zulia in the Venezuelan Winter League. It is a marked improvement from a disappointing season with Double-A Reading, where he hit .236 with 27 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 57 RBIs and a .686 OPS in 492 plate appearances.

“I just went out and had fun,” Altherr said, explaining his impressive play in Winter Ball. “I really didn’t think too much. Sometimes I just put too much pressure on myself during the (Minor League) season. I didn’t worry about anything in Winter Ball.”

They announced today they have outrighted right-hander Shawn Camp to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Camp, who had a 5.40 ERA in three appearances after allowing four hits and two runs in 1 2/3 innings last night against Toronto, has the option of becoming a free agent.

Right-hander Luis Garcia has been recalled from Lehigh Valley to take Camp’s place.

Phillies assistant general manager Benny Looper said last week that Garcia was pitching better than anybody in the Triple-A bullpen, which currently includes three pitchers that opened the season with the Phillies: right-handers Brad Lincoln, Justin De Fratus and B.J. Rosenberg. Right-hander Phillippe Aumont and left-handers Jeremy Horst and Cesar Jimenez also have pitched for the Phillies.

Garcia is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and six saves in 11 appearances with the IronPigs. In 13 2/3 innings, he has allowed nine hits, one unearned run, four walks and has struck out 13.

Garcia had a 3.73 ERA in 24 appearances last season with the Phillies, but he walked 23 and struck out 23 in 31 1/3 innings.

Right-hander Ethan Martin, who could be a bullpen option at some point, made his second rehab appearance Wednesday with Class A Clearwater. He allowed two hits in one inning. He is recovering from right shoulder and triceps capsule strains.

Double-A closer Ken Giles had a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings. He has allowed eight hits, two earned runs, five walks and has struck out 27. Looper said last week that Giles needs to improve his fastball command – he has thrown too many fastball up in the strike zone – as well as improve his slider. Looper said Giles’ next move likely would be to Triple-A, although he offered no timetable for that.

Adams hopes he can rejoin the Phillies bullpen by April 15. Galvis, who is recovering from MRSA, could be back by the middle of the month, too.

The Phillies have indicated Hamels could rejoin the rotation before the end of April.

The Phillies said on March 21 that Ruf could miss 4-6 weeks. Martin just started throwing, and Ruben Amaro Jr. said recently Gonzalez could be a candidate for the 60-day DL to give them flexibility for the 40-man roster.

If Ethan Martin’s confidence has been rattled following seven rough starts in the big leagues, Roy Halladay offered some perspective this week.

He handed Martin one of his baseball cards, which showed his 10.64 ERA in 2000 with the Blue Jays. It is the highest ERA for any pitcher in baseball history with 50 or more innings pitched in a single season.

“He wrote a little note on his card to Ethan, to remind this kid, that, you might be taking your lumps now, but there’s a lot of good that’s going to come down the road in the future if you continue to learn, continue to have the heart to go out there,” said Rich Dubee, who announced today Martin will finish the season in the bullpen. “Ethan definitely has the heart and the mound presence.”

Right-hander Tyler Cloyd will assume Martin’s spot in the rotation the remainder of the year.

“It doesn’t really click in until Halladay came over and said, ‘Hey, do you know holds the record for highest ERA with over 50 innings pitched in the big leagues in a year?’ I said no, and he said, ‘Well, I did,’” Martin said. “Then he came and handed me the card with a 10-point-something ERA and had it highlighted. When you look at that … I’m still upset with how I’ve done, but it makes you say, OK, there’s still a chance I can still be that starter or whatever I have to do. I’m just taking that in, and once I’m down there (in the bullpen) I’ll come in for an inning or whatever they want me to do and give it all I have.

“I was really stunned. Dubee told me to go look at (Greg) Maddux and (Tom) Glavine, and it was the same kind of situation. It’s crazy to think back and see what they did throughout their careers, and where Roy is now, and they had rough starts. I guess I learn from these last seven starts, and just build off of it.”

Martin went 2-4 with a 6.90 ERA in seven starts. It has been speculated Martin might end up in the bullpen because he has a big arm that could serve the Phillies well in the late innings.

Martin has been successful the first time through the lineup, but the longer he has pitched the less effective he has been. Opponents have hit just .200 (11-for-55) against him the first time they see him. He has walked just six, but struck out 23. But after the first time through the lineup, opponent have hit .324 (22-for-68) with 15 walks and 11 strikeouts.

“I think he’s a gem,” Dubee said. “I think he really is going to be a gem in this league. Right now he’s got a lot of innings. We’re just trying to protect him from the workload and also see what he looks like in the bullpen.

“I’m not afraid to put him in the eighth inning right now. Again, this is all trial and error. It will be interesting to see how he handles it. His stuff has played phenomenally well the first time through a lineup. I don’t know if it’s because of fatigue. I don’t know if it’s because he burns up too much energy, but his stuff shortens up the second and third time through. He will play some big role on a pitching staff. It will be a nice little change to take a different look at him.”

The Phillies will get another look at their potential future when right-hander Ethan Martin makes his big-league debut Friday against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park.

Cliff Lee’s turn in the rotation is Friday, but he missed his last start because of neck stiffness. This will be his second missed turn. Raul Valdes started in Lee’s place Saturday in Detroit, but he allowed 12 hits and nine runs in 3 2/3 innings in a blowout loss at Comerica Park.

The Phillies said a corresponding move to make room Martin on the 25-man roster will come before Friday’s game.

Martin is 11-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 21 starts this season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is 4-2 with a 2.08 ERA in his last seven starts.

The Phillies acquired Martin last July from the Dodgers in the Shane Victorino trade.

The Phillies placed John Lannan on the 15-day disabled list today because of a strained quadriceps tendon in his left knee. Ruben Amaro Jr. and manager Charlie Manuel said Lannan could miss six to eight weeks.

“It’s a fairly serious injury,” Amaro said. “I know John was upset about it, but there’s not much you can do other than rehab it and come back as soon as possible.”

The Phillies are expected to call up a relief pitcher tomorrow to temporarily take Lannan’s spot on the 25-man roster. A replacement for his spot in the rotation is expected to be announced before Monday’s game against the Pirates, which would have been Lannan’s turn to pitch.

The Phillies have options in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but their best option there might be left-hander Adam Morgan and he pitched today in Pawtucket. Amaro said right-handers Tyler Cloyd, Jonathan Pettibone and Ethan Martin also will be considered. Amaro said Double-A Reading prospect Jesse Biddle is not an option. He also said the Phillies could look outside the organization to find a replacement, although he said the choice likely will come from Triple-A.

They released Lopez last week and they released Cook today The Phillies had a noon deadline today on Cook. They had to promise him a spot on the 25-man roster, pay him a $100,000 retention bonus to pitch in Triple-A or release him. Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said after a discussion with Cook’s agent they decided to release him.

“We decided that was the best thing to do,” Proefrock said. “It was our decision. But I think Ruben (Amaro Jr.) was cognizant and considerate of the player’s feelings of the circumstances.”

Cook went 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in six Grapefruit League appearances, but went 13-29 with a 5.54 ERA the previous three seasons, including 20 strikeouts in 18 starts last season with the Red Sox. Cook’s departure sets up a Triple-A rotation with right-handers Tyler Cloyd, Jonathan Pettibone, Ethan Martin and B.J. Rosenberg and left-hander Adam Morgan, although Proefrock said nothing has been finalized.

They informed right-handers Jonathan Pettibone and Ethan Martin and outfielder Zach Collier they will be optioned Monday.

Asche and Joseph impressed. Asche hit .357 (5-for-14) with two doubles, two walks and two strikeouts in eight games. Joseph hit .462 (6-for-13) with two doubles, one home run and two RBIs in six games. Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz and third baseman Michael Young will be free agents after the season, so if Asche and Joseph continue to develop with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season the Phillies could have some interesting decisions to make in the offseason.

Could Asche and Joseph be significant contributors in 2014?

“Next season, maybe. Maybe,” Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “Not 2013 necessarily. It’s a possibility. It’s hard to tell. A lot of it will depend on how they continue to advance. Neither one of these guys have played Triple-A baseball.”

“They still need to put together solid seasons,” Charlie Manuel said. “They need a little more experience. But at the same time they’re more advanced than I thought they were … than I expected. Very much so.”

Manuel also complimented Morgan, Martin and Pettibone.

“They’re going to pitch in the big leagues,” Manuel said.

The Phillies didn’t see Savery in competition for one of the team’s three job openings in the bullpen. Martinez wasn’t a candidate to be one of the team’s utility infielders.

Catcher Tommy Joseph ranks third in the system behind left-hander Jesse Biddle and right-hander Ethan Martin. Joseph will be interesting to watch in 2013. He will be competing with Sebastian Valle (ranked eighth) for the starting catching job with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. If Joseph wins the job and makes great strides this season, you wonder how the Phillies will view Carlos Ruiz‘s impending free agency? Ruiz is 34, so he isn’t young anymore. If Joseph looks great at Triple-A and Ruiz struggles following his 25-game suspension for using a banned stimulant, which way will the Phillies lean? Ruiz is immensely popular in the Phillies clubhouse. The pitchers love him. Everybody respects him. But the Phillies need to start getting younger. Maybe they look there.

This year it spoke to 25 individuals in the industry: scouting directors, scouts, front office executives, etc. Those 25 talent evaulators then ranked their top 50 prospects in a format similar to an AP college football or basketball poll. The No. 1 player on each person’s list receives 50 points. The No. 2 player receives 49 points. The 50th player receives one point. You get the idea. Jesse Biddle ranked 60th overall and Ethan Martin ranked 80th. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo said he originally had Martin ranked lower in the Phillies’ organizational rankings, but moved him up based on the opinions of those talent evaluators putting together their top 50 lists. Interesting stuff.

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